Fantasy Books of Note from 2015

[Whitleyrr]

Every year around this time we begin to think about next year and the books we're looking forward to most that (we hope) get published in the next year.

But what about that list from last year? How did those hopes stand up? Did they exceed our wildest dreams or were there disappointments? Looking back over you "most anticipated fantasy books of 2015" list, what were the standouts for you, and what fell a bit flat? (I hope this can be a bit different that the "best of" lists that always circulate, even though the SFFWorld one is always great!)

 

[Westy]

Probably my standout was Slade House by David Mitchell, a short haunted house novel of sorts set in the same universe as The Bone Clocks. It had me enraptured from start, and was very succinctly plotted within it's 200-odd pages.

I also really enjoyed Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen, a fantastic western/fantasy mash-up with a very original and well-defined main character, and probably my third top release in 2015 from the fantasy genre was Ian Tregillis' The Mechanical, an alternate history/semi SF story set in the 1900's where the Dutch have invented mechanical "Clakkers", and one goes rogue.

There were a few disappointments as well, with Clive Barker's long awaited The Scarlet Gospels ( set in the Hellraiser universe) being at the top of the list - very bland and uninspiring overall. I also found Uprooted to be nothing much (average writing and had me bored halfway though) and China Mieville's Three Moments of an Explosion very hit and miss (though I'm not a big lover of short stories).

Overall a pretty good year (there were quite a few other good books), and I read some very good SF releases as well.

 

[Whitleyrr]

I'm usually behind the eight ball and not reading the super current work, but I did manage a few this year. The standout for me was one I hadn't anticipated at all because I'd never heard of it. I think technically The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth came out in 2014 in England but only came out here in the States in 2015. It tells the tale of the invasion of England by the Norman conqueror William in 1066 from the perspective of a landowner/farmer who lost everything. Often referred to as a post-apocalyptic novel taking place a thousand years in the past, it hit all the right notes for me. Perhaps most remarkably, it was written in a "shadow language" of middle English, which I admit took some getting used to - but by page 40 or so I had it. It forced me to slow down and really take in the words, but perhaps most impressively, it served to transport me to another time and place more than any other book has, perhaps ever.

I also read Half the World and Half a War by Abercrombie, finishing his Shattered Sea Trilogy. Half the World was the better book in my opinion, but I generally enjoyed the trilogy. I did not particularly enjoy the "magic" by which the war was resolved. Not Joe's best work in my opinion (that's The Heroes), but still a good, fun, and quick read.

 

[Nechtan]

I'm always behind as well. I've only read four books that came out this year. Some years I don't even manage one. Too many books so little time.
The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor. Batshit crazy apocalyptic weird fantasy. Loved it.
The Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan. Enjoyable romp.
Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman. Should've been a longer series but loved it. Read it twice in one weekend. Amazing artwork.
Saga Vol.5 by Brian Vaughan. I've only caught up with Saga this year and it's been a blast. The whole series has been great.

 

[Contrarius]

Here are the 2015 fantasies I read this year.

A Real Pleasure:
-- The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher. Butcher did himself proud. Not a perfect book, and a bit over-the-top in its reliance on tropes and affectation, but a lot of fun and full of goodness.
-- Nevermore by Rob Thurman. Irritating as hell for the extreme cliffhanger ending, but stuffed with all the things that fans of the series love about the series.
-- Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb. 'Nuff said. And I enjoyed it more than the previous book.
-- The Liar's Key by Mark Lawrence. I love this series to death. I liked this one more than the first in the series, I think. Much more fun than the Broken Empire books -- perhaps not as literary or as original, but easier to be swept into the adventure.

Good but Not Astounding:
-- Touch by Claire North. I never did like the MC much. I thought it was clever about making a secondary character the really noble man, and more interesting if you looked at the MC as an unreliable narrator, but I could never really care about the MC's fate.
-- The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin. Outstanding worldbuilding, but I found the plot irritating in several places and the ending truly annoyed me.
-- Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear. Not sure if this should go in f or sf. Ehhh.

Disappointing:
-- A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab. It wasn't bad, just clunkier and YA-er than I anticipated.

 

[Mark Lawrence]

Unusually I read quite a few published in 2015 fantasy books this year!

Bloodrush - Ben Galley

Blood will Follow - Snorri Kristjansson

The Raven's Child graphic novel illustrated by Tom Brown

Sword of the North - Luke Scull

Rough Magick - Kenny Soward

In Midnight's Silence _ T. Frohock

Those Above - Daniel Polansky

The Skull Throne - Peter V Brett

All reviewed on Goodreads, all worth reading with original things to offer. I'd say In Midnight's Silence (novella) was the standout and The Skull Throne was a good return to the Demon Cycle.